I know it's all hip and cool to be cynical these days and all. And there's no doubt that McClatchy and the Pirates have done enough on their own to contribute to their losing streak here.

But what else does he want McClatchy to say? Throw up his hands, say, "Well fans, unfortunately, baseball's economic system makes it a lot tougher for a lower-revenue team to compete. We did the best we could this year with what we had to spend. We'll try hard, but we may not win more than 80 games this year. Still, we hope you'll come out and try to make the best of it."

That's the thing that frustrates me with the media and the Pirates. I'm not denying that the Pirates have made mistakes and that these have contributed heavily towards their lack of success. I'm not saying that low-revenue teams cannot compete, because some have.

All I'm saying is that in this situation, McClatchy is damned in he does and damned if he doesn't. People rip the guy for not giving a damn, but every time he tries to connect with the public to try to get people excited, he gets ripped for being optimistic. He's got a product to try and sell. What the hell else is he supposed to say?